Miguel Marcheterre-Pina (he/him/il)

3rd year, Art Education

Ashes and Embers

Song and cover art

pen on paper

30 cm x 30 cm

2025

Description:

Miguel Marcheterre-Pina is a Québéco-Angolan guitar player whose work also entails  songwriting, illustration, writing and world-building. Involved within the music industry  notably in bands Harmoniaq, Maeskyyrn and Harvested, he founded in 2020 his current  musical endeavour: VOLUBILIS. A progressive metal band, VOLUBILIS presents a promising  debut as they unleash out of thin air their striking first single, “Ashes & Embers” in February  2025. Based in Montréal, Canada, Miguel also expanded his artistic practice in Melbourne,  Australia, where his work has been well received by the local metal community. The music  of VOLUBILIS blends intricate guitar solos, polyrhythms and exquisite fretless bass lines in  an unprecedented neo-classical cocktail.

With colossal blast beats, monstrous vocals and glorious harmonies, “Ashes & Embers” consists of a refreshing arrival in the progressive metal scene. VOLUBILIS’ narratives follow themes of nature through the rasp of distorted instruments, and this release marks the first of many milestones in a conceptual music journey which uses storytelling to showcase the creativity of Miguel’s writing. The virtuosity observed in VOLUBILIS’ song writing is a testimony of strong musicianship, intensity and emotion. Borrowing elements from various musical genres, the band is able to raise extreme metal standards by emphasizing on their technical prowess.

David Allen Dafré (he/him)

1st year, music major

It Is Too Little Time

audio recording produced by singer/song writer David Allen Dafré, 4:04 mins

2020

Artist statement:

Those who know of David Dafré’s musical past in Brazil might think of his return to school as a side project. For the body of work he accomplished with his band formed bridges across the continental nation in South America. Tirelessly touring, creating new material and bringing music to remote municipalities gained the band nationwide recognition and offered a myriad of experiences in the Brazilian Music Industry. But there was still one bridge left to construct. The bridge that connected his home country with the country that so kindly encouraged his musical experiments. How could the two hemispheres become one? In 2018, David returned to establish residence in the peaceful city of Montreal. He spent a little over a year flying to Sao Paulo and back for performances and recordings in Brazil. He was able to record and launch an album with his bandmates during that time. While in Montreal he would spend time with his family trying to make up for the time he had spent away. His grandfather was over 100 years old and their bond made the two rely on each other. After David returned from a weekend of performances in Sao Paulo in November of 2019 he decided to focus on providing for the well being of his grandfather and connect with his ancient wisdom. This was a wise decision, because a month later during the holidays, both his grandparents sickened and passed away. The year of 2020 began with mourning and then suddenly turned into a pandemic. With hope of connecting with the local music community and exploring Canada in the same manner that he had done in South America, David views his enrolment in the academic community as a means to grow in knowledge and partnering with artists who share his aspirations.

Description:

Cover Art: André Tayar Lyrics: Philippe Lavoie & David Dafré Graphic Design: Aná Dafré Composed, Recorded and Produced by David Dafré.

The work is that of an artist who is not only searching within himself to connect with his inner awareness and musicality which has intuitively manifested over the years but also creating an ode to his hometown to which he now returns. The academic environment offers the ideal chance to interact and collaborate with young musicians learning how to break through into the musical industry.